Saints bounty program sets off alarms in NFL

KO of Bennett in Week 2 may have cost Bears, paid off for safety Harper

March 02, 2012|By Dan Pompei, Chicago Tribune reporter

Earl Bennett is injured in the first quarter after taking a hit from the Saints' Roman Harper. (Brian Cassella / Tribune Photo)

In an NFL that is increasingly consumed with player safety, the idea of placing bounties on opponents will set off sirens and alarms.

That's the message the league sent Friday when it announced the Saints will be punished for a bounty program that has been in effect for the last three seasons.

The punishment, which will be decided by Commissioner Roger Goodell, is likely to include the loss of draft choices over multiple years, including at least one first-round pick.

Fines could reach millions of dollars and be levied against the Saints organization, general manager Mickey Loomis, coach Sean Payton, then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, other defensive coaches and linebacker Jonathan Vilma and defensive end Will Smith, who have served as defensive captains. Suspensions also are possible.

The investigation concluded players regularly contributed cash into a pool and received payments for accomplishments including "cart-offs," meaning the opposing player was carted off the field, and "knockouts," meaning the opposing player was not able to return to the game.

The league said the program paid players $1,500 for a knockout and $1,000 for a cart-off, with payouts doubling or tripling during the playoffs. Vilma reportedly offered $10,000 to anyone who could knock out then-Vikings quarterback Brett Favre in the 2009 NFC championship game.

Using that as a guide, Saints safety Roman Harper likely received $1,500 for putting his helmet to the chest of Bears receiver Earl Bennett in the first quarter Sept. 18. Bennett walked off the field but was brought to the locker room for tests. He briefly returned to the game but did not stay and missed the following five games.

Harper also was penalized for roughing the passer in that game, and quarterback Jay Cutler said he was kicked in the throat by a Saints defender.

"The payments here are particularly troubling because they involved not just payments for performance but also for injuring opposing players," Goodell said.

"It is our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of our game, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated."

Williams, now the Rams' defensive coordinator, released a statement that read, "I want to express my sincere regret and apology to the NFL, Mr. (Tom) Benson (owner of the Saints), and the New Orleans Saints fans for my participation in the 'pay for performance' program while I was with the Saints. It was a terrible mistake, and we knew it was wrong while we were doing it. Instead of getting caught up in it, I should have stopped it. I take full responsibility for my role. I am truly sorry. I have learned a hard lesson and I guarantee that I will never participate in or allow this kind of activity to happen again."

Four Redskins who played under Williams when he was the defensive coordinator in Washington told the Washington Post there was a bounty system in place there as well, with players earning up to thousands of dollars for plays that included "kill shots."

Punishments could affect the Redskins, the Rams (if Williams is suspended) and the Raiders (if new head coach Dennis Allen, a former Saints assistant, is suspended) as well as the Saints.

Bounties have been a part of the NFL for decades. Though bounties clearly are in violation of the league's bylaws, the NFL never has gone after perpetrators in this manner.

Williams is a disciple of Rams coach Jeff Fisher. Fisher, the former Bears defensive back, is a disciple of former Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.

There has been talk for years that Ryan encouraged bounties on opposing players going back to his days with the Bears.

The NFL said Williams contributed to the bounty fund himself, but it has not been established that Ryan did the same.

Former Bears defensive lineman Dan Hampton said, "With us, it was, hey Otis (Wilson), if you knock out Eric Dickerson, I'll buy you lunch. It was between players."

Former Bears kicker Kevin Butler once said players put money in a bag, and the money would go to a player who knocked out a quarterback. The Bears also had monetary incentives for knocking out opposing kickers.

In 1989, when Ryan was head coach of the Eagles, Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson accused him of placing bounties on quarterback Troy Aikman and kicker Luis Zendejas and refused to shake his hand after a Thanksgiving game.

In today's NFL, a coach who deals in bounties can have more serious repercussions to deal with than a handshake snub.